It’s been evident throughout this season that the Florida Panthers are weak defensively as it has consistently been their downfall in many games this year.
Couple that with multiple injuries to Roberto Luongo and sub-par performances from his replacements and the Florida Panthers are lucky to be in reach of the playoffs.
Now that Luongo has returned, the way in which they use him could make or break this team’s playoff chances.
Lu’s Return
In his first start since Nov. 23rd, Luongo faced off against the Boston Bruins and one of the strongest first lines in hockey. Despite seeing 32 shots fly his way, he pitched a shutout and the Cats won the game, 5-0.
In his second start against the Colorado Avalanche, things didn’t go quite as smoothly. Luongo was pelted with shots the entire game, seeing 37 in total, and the Cats fell to the very-fun-to-watch Avalanche, 5-2.
Although the two games couldn’t have been more different in terms of Luongo’s success, the Panthers did seem to play a similar style. They allowed a high percentage of shooting chances on the defensive end while trying to make up for it with their high-power offense.
This has been pretty consistent throughout the Panthers season. The team allows an average of 3.48 goals per game, which is tied for the fourth most goals allowed in the league while simultaneously scoring an average of 3.26 goals per game, a ranking of 10th overall.
The most interesting aspect of these stats is that the Panthers are actually respectable when it comes to the number of shots they allow per game. With an average of 31.3, they are in the top 15 in the league (13th to be exact).
With this we can infer two possibilities, the shots are from high-quality areas, and/or, the goalie play has been a liability.
If you guessed both, you would be correct.
Goalies and Shot Area
Before the start of this season, the Panthers knew that they would have a heavy reliance on backup goaltender James Reimer and so far he hasn’t been able to deliver that strong No. 2 goaltender the team was looking for.
Currently, Reimer has five wins and six losses, three in overtime. He’s allowing 3.36 goals per game and is riding a save percentage of .893%. This, compared to his 22-11 record last year and 9.13 SV%, is extremely underwhelming and not what the team has needed with Luongo having two extended absences.
This offseason, the Panthers did their best to provide some extended goalie depth by signing Mike Hutchinson. However, in his four starts, Hutchinson is at an atrocious .839%, making it hard to justify watching games that he plays in.
It’s important to mention that the goalies are not entirely to blame. Although they let in a ton of goals and have the third worst combined save percentage in the league, the shots they face are usually from high-quality areas.
The defense is very poor in the middle of their own zone, specifically right in front of the net, which is inevitably going to result in goals.
When he’s been healthy, Luongo has been impressive and it doesn’t appear that age is slowing his ability, simply affecting his recovery times. In the 11 games he’s played, Lu is at a .911 save percentage and 2.85 GAA.
What This Means For Lu
Lets recap: the Panthers are on the playoff bubble, their defense allows a high volume of shots in dangerous scoring areas, and they have one viable goaltender who is 40-years-old and has a long history of injuries including multiple this year.
Personally, I fear the Panthers will rely too heavily on Luongo out of necessity and possibly cause another injury. At this point, his lower body is a ticking time bomb as he’s had three major injuries over the past two seasons.
As we’ve already seen in his two games back, Lu will face a heavy amount of shots each and every night he is on the ice. With the Panthers still in the hunt for a playoff position and having no long-term solution in sight, the Cats are playing with fire and need to be cautious with how they use their goaltender.
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